It was billed as "one of the most exciting days of the year, the finalising of the European Ryder Cup team for 2012." As it turned out, it was all a bit of an anti-climax.

You didn't need to be Mystic Meg to sense that Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe's captain, would confirm Ian Poulter and Nicolas Colsaerts as his wildcard picks for next month's joust with the USA in Chicago.

There had been a far greater commotion the night before when Paul Lawrie put the finishing touches to a sparkling four-shot victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship over the PGA Centenary course.

For the 43-year-old Aberdonian, who had already secured a return to the Ryder Cup theatre after a 13-year absence prior to the final counting event in Perthshire, it was the perfect end to a stellar campaign.

For Olazabal, a team-mate of the rejuvenated Scot at the Battle of Brookline in 1999, it was the perfect start to the month leading up to Medinah.

With Rory McIlroy winning the US PGA title and Sergio Garcia finding his form again to plunder the Wyndham Championship recently, Europe's leading lights are in fine fettle. Lawrie's second win of the season has added to the general feel-good factor.

Last week, the former Open champion reflected on the nerve-shredding experience of hitting the very first tee-shot of that 1999 contest. "I still wake up with wee shivers thinking about," he recalled. Olazabal remains convinced that his old hand in the line up will be as solid as granite when Europe and the US resume hostilities at the end of September.

"To have another chance at the Ryder Cup is huge for anybody, especially Paul," said the double Masters champion as he mulled over Lawrie's bountiful qualities. "It's going to be huge for him. The performance in the Johnnie Walker was very impressive. It's not very often that you see a player leading the field on a Sunday play that well and the timing of the win is fantastic.

"Paul will bring a lot of character to the team, he's a cool customer and he will show a lot of heart. He's quick and very sharp and always has a pretty good line at the right time. It's the attitude he has, though. He's not afraid of hitting the shots under pressure and, in that regard, he's well prepared for what lies ahead."

While Lawrie knows what to expect from the Ryder Cup cauldron, new recruit Colsaerts will be plunged into it for the first time. It has been a staggering rise to prominence. Three years ago, he was 1305th on the world rankings and there was a spell when he seemed more focused on getting the most out of his life rather than his talent. "I was told that [to work harder] a million times," said the 29-year-old, who was never one to turn down an invitation to party. "But it has to come from you. No-one has time to babysit anyone out here. I knew I had it in me. I knew I was going to be a bit of clown at one stage in my life, but I always knew I was going to do it."

The confirmation that he would, indeed, get the chance to "do it" arrived late on Sunday night when Olazabal delivered his judgment on the reigning World Matchplay champion.

"He [Olazabal] phoned and said 'Nicolas where are you? And I said 'I'm 10 minutes from here', so he said 'see you in 10'," reflected Colsaerts, who will be the first Belgian to play in the Ryder Cup. "I still didn't know when I got here [to the Gleneagles Hotel]. When I walked in it was like a scene from The Godfather, all these people sitting around and watching the golf. It was pretty nerve wracking for the first five minutes I was in there, but Olly did a great job of mellowing me and saying in his way that I was going to be part of it."

This type of calm, considered man-management from Olazabal will certainly come into play when dealing with Martin Kaymer, the German who held on grimly to the final automatic spot in the team but has been badly out of sorts recently.

The former US PGA champion, a member of the 2010 European team at Celtic Manor, has not had a top-10 since April's Malaysian Open. Olazabal, drawing on his own experiences of a pre-Ryder Cup slump, is not concerned, however.

"I heard some people saying he [Kaymer] didn't want to be part of the team," he added. "These people should be paying much more respect to the guy as that is totally unfair on Martin.

"In 1993, I was struggling with my game big time and I called Seve. I said 'anybody could play better than I am at the moment and I'm thinking about not going to the Ryder Cup'. It was a good thing it was on the phone as Seve would have smashed my face! Once you get here and you have your team members around, the atmosphere is enough to lift your spirit and bring the best out in you."

With Poulter and Colsaerts making up the final pieces in the jigsaw, Olazabal will be hoping that his 12 European crusaders bring their best to Medinah come September 28.